A special double screening features two eligible films for the 98th Academy Awards: the poignant first-hand documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Denmark’s official entry for Best International Feature Film, and the Oscar-eligible animated short Winter in March (Estonia).

Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Dir. Pavel Talankin & David Borenstein | Denmark & Czech Republic, 2025 | 90 min
In Russian with English subtitles

“A must-watch, indelible document of ideological warfare”—Pasha Talankin is an unlikely hero: a beloved Russian primary school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office. After Russia invades Ukraine, Pasha’s role in the school changes dramatically as he is reluctantly drawn into Putin’s propaganda machine. Forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and horrified by the militarization of his school and community, he wrestles with guilt and a sense of powerlessness, leading him to become an international whistleblower.

As the school’s videographer, Pasha documents intimate and revealing footage of Putin’s
regime, capturing the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, fervent
nationalism, and the recruitment of graduating students to fight in the war. When he learns
his own life may be at risk, Pasha is forced to plan a dangerous escape from Russia.

The winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance, this uniquely collaborative film is as captivating and joyful as it is eye-opening and sobering. Mr. Nobody Against Putin showcases rare footage that reveals the profound impact of Putin’s regime on the lives of everyday Russians, particularly its children.

Lumi saadab meid / Winter in March
Dir. Natalia Mirzoyan | Estonia/Armenia/France, 2024 | 16 min
In Estonian with English subtitles

Helpless in the face of a repressive state, a young couple leaves their home – an escape that turns into a surreal nightmare. Praised as “an authentic story of inner conflict that comes from facing your country falling into the moral abyss,” this tenderly animated production premiered at Cannes. Winter in March has since received critical acclaim, winning the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film at the Sarajevo Film Festival.